Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Matt. 10:32.

These words were spoken by our Lord in anticipation of times of trial. We are living in days that are akin to those of the disciples. Before the return of Christ there will be final conflicts and the great hour of temptation that will come upon the world. It is not enough to believe that we are Christians in our hearts. All men are to read in our lives an epistle written by the hand of Christ. The manner in which non-Christians see us every day is an indication of whether Christ dwells in our hearts. This is more than a simple statement about what we believe.

We confess with our mouths and with our lives. Neither by word nor by conduct are we to hesitate, to keep silent, or turn our backs on our Lord. No man belongs fully to Christ unless he is ready to lay down his life for the purpose of confessing Him. We all confess Jesus Christ in one way or another. We are to live as children of God called out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are to proclaim in all that we do and say the virtues of Him who has redeemed us. Our confession is to be the expression of Christ in us. The confession of Christ can be free and genuine outwardly only insofar as Christ is within us. A confession with the mouth without renouncing sin, without the corresponding heart experience, is hypocrisy.

We are to confess Christ with the spontaneity of love—gladly, willingly, boldly. So let the mechanic confess Christ in his workshop, the businessman in all his transactions, the mother in relation to her family, the doctor in his practice, the laborer in whatever he is called upon to do. Wherever we may be placed we are to consider our situation as an opportunity to confess the Lord.

The times are ripe for the confessing of Christ and His truth to the world. Let us leave behind our petty differences, our self-seeking, and our envies. Let those with whom we associate be constrained to look and to listen. Let there be in the church a great concert of harmony and praise to Him who has redeemed us.